Why is it funny? Don't you gringos have better things to do than bash Europe at every opportunity, even when it doesn't make any sense? I assume you are American, and USA is the absolute World champion of protectionism, so what exactly do you find soooo funny?
Can you tell me what is so wrong about Europe actions regarding this matter? Or your post was just for fun?
The biggest problem with Netherlands is that many millions of people feel just like you do (sigh). Maybe we should stop craving for Netherlands and try to make our own countries a little more "netherlandish".
Comparing actions of your "great democracy" with the ones of a "vicious dictator" (to use your own jargon) trying to excuse yourselves, does not speak the best about you guys.
Also, independent international authorities on human rights rank Cuba very well in the whole American continent, or at least not as bad as most of the other countries (think Colombia, Bolivia, Mexico, etc.). You should see your own human rights ranking, maybe you'll be surprised.
By the time US-backed dictator Batista was in power, Cuba was a human-rights paradise. One of the common practices of the police was to cut pieces of the prisoners bodies like ears, noses and fingers and send them to the families, hoping some of them would confess. Of course, they could be sadistic monsters, but at least they weren't commies (Oh, the horror!).
Well, I'm European and I spent some time working in a project in the US. I watched Fox News every evening because it made me laugh a lot. It's completely ridiculous.
We have some pretty bad journalists, and our media are very biased, you can tell right away most things are manipulated. But we couldn't get to the level of Fox News, it's too brazen, people just wouldn't take it seriously.
Of course, if some Americans take the Fox crap seriously, it ceases to be funny, it becomes very, very dangerous.
So, why do I have to put up with copy protected CDs that I can't rip to listen to in my office? I don't mean pirating anything, just fair use.
I subscribe to EMusic.com, that sells non-DRM MP3s. Why is the catalog so limited? There are many things that I could buy, but they are not offered in EMusic, and I'm not spending € 18,00 for some stupid copy-protected CD, so their strategy is shoting their own foot. The so called "labels and the artists they represent" are actually preventing me from being their customer.
Anyway, it's not about the artists , of course. They get a ridiculous amount for each sold CD. The record companies business is all about delivering very very little for a huge amount. Let them all go bankrupcy, I won't miss those leaches! And neither the artists, too.
I can't even see what the new Yahoo Mail looks like. I can't seem to open it in any browser, either in Linux or Windows. And I have problems with the old Yahoo Mail in Firefox, too.
I was seriously considering dumping my Yahoo account, now they put me a little bit closer to that.
If people have enough time to be chatting all day long, then they are not being well managed.
We use IM as a working tool, with some success. My team has lots of projects abroad, there are always 2 or 3 co-workers in foreign countries, working. And IM is a lot cheaper than international phone calls.
I have my Gaim clients disconnected most of the time because, even when I'm flagged as "busy", friends of mine come at inappropriate times for some cheap talk, and I have to be kinda rude rude and tell them: I'M WORKING! WE'LL TALK LATER!
If everybody thought like you, there would be no enterprises in the World. The first thing they tought me in a lousy sales job I had some years ago it that you must contact the most possible customers you can. If 1 out of 100 contacts results in a sale, then you need to contact 1000 to make 10 sales. That's just it.
This is just plain FUD from the record industry and their puppets, like Madonna.
Most musicians make money with concerts, because the share they have in record sales is awfully low. Everytime you buy a CD, you're not paying for the valuable work of the musician, most of the money goes directly inside the gaping throat of the record industry. We feed them loads of money and they create plastic, lab-made stars to fill the airwaves with.
In my dream world, real artists will start to sell or give away their music direcly in the Internet, and make money from shows. They're not making big money selling records, anyway, so what's the problem? This would be a great incentive to make shows more interesting and worthwhile going to. I personally think nothing beats a live show.
Plastic-made pop stars and record companies can just go fuck themselves and maybe we could start giving good artists more opportunities.
I though about buying a bike, and using it to go to work, many times. That would be really cool. Unfortunately, I don't live in the Netherlands.
I live in a valley, with a very steep road to get out, and half of the way to work is highway, where bycicles are forbidden. I could use a secondary road, but it's a much longer distance. Anyway, riding a bike on the road, where I live, is almost suicide. Death rate among cyclists is very high.
I use a motorcycle, and ride 6 Km to work everyday, and 6 Km back. But most people I know use a car and drive much longer distances.
But gas here in Europe is over € 1 a litre, which gives us about 6 or 7 dollars a gallon. The average salary specifically in my country is under € 1000/month. So, what are you complaining about?
Anyway, what happens if you forget it one day, or if you lose it or have it stolen?
You go to the registry and ask a new one. It's as simple as this. If it's stolen, then congratulations, an illegal immigrant will become YOU. Anyway, it's against our Constitution to track someone by ID card number in businesses with the state, the Tax Authority has one number, the Health Authority has a different number, the Traffic Authority another, etc. etc. Government is trying to cut down bureaucracy and make the public services collaborate better with each other, but it's raising lots of privacy issues, for instance, to apply for Student/Worker benefits, I have to wait hours in a queue to request the Social Security a paper stating I don't owe them any money. Then I have to deliver the paper in my university, which is a stupid situation, because the university belongs to the State. Why don't those bureaucrats just ask? Or better, why can't they just query a database?
the UK card will cost £90+ (it's combined with a passport, but that's still a £50 increase). And some estimates put it as £300 per person.
Well, I can see why you're angry, this is an outrageous price, if people don't swallow this pill easily, prices like those only make it worse. Aren't the Labours a bit bully, or something?
I don't see how ID cards will prevent terrorism.
Well, I wrote it in another post, if I commit a crime, Police already knows my fingerprint. That helps, a little bit.
You don't need to be sorry. We don't ever feel like our freedom has been taken away. I live in the EU, where I can enjoy one of the best freedoms in the World. We all grew up with these ID cards, for us, they are routine. And it doesn't prevent us from doing anything.
If I had commited a crime, then I should worry, because somewhere, there's a database with my fingerprint in it.
As I said, it's a matter of culture. The ID card issue is very important for Anglo-Saxons, for other cultures, it's just trivial. It's like eating snails. In my own country they are much appreciated, in France they even consider them an exquisite delicacy. Yet, an American or British wouldn't eat a snail to save his life.
I'm curious. What do you find so shameful about having an ID card?
Where I live, ID cards have fingerprint and photo. And it's mandatory to carry one's card all the time. As far as I know, nobody gives a shit about it.
Concerning costs, I recall I had to pay some amount to renew it when I got married, but it was really low. It's not that expensive to produce an ID card, why do people have to pay, quoting you, an "absurd amount" to take it? Won't that encourage people to ignore it and become "clandestines"?
Anyway, if the government can track you by your ID card, then they don't need to resort to a bunch of illegal stuff to fight crime and terrorism, as it seems to be a habit lately.
This isn't such a big deal. In my country, it's mandatory to have an ID card, at least since I can remember. I live in a democratic country, that's part of the EU.
The ID card paranoia is an Anglo-Saxon thing. I guess it goes against your traditional concept of personal freedom. In my personal opinion, ID card is quite a useful thing. You'll end up to get used to it, eventually.
I have seen quite a few of those pre-release copies. They are sold in broad daylight in street markets all around my country. For 5 Euro, you can buy 3 movies.
In my opinion, they are not worth it. Usually, image sucks, you can see people standing and hear people laughing during the movie. Most of the time, the sound is out of sync with the image, making it a pain to watch. I could never stand to watch more than 10 minutes of any of such movies.
€ 5,00 for 3 movies is really cheap, may sound tempting, but for me, it's not only wasting money, but wasting time. I can't see why people buy such crap.
I think, when Microsoft starts suing for patent violations, shit will seriously hit the fan. Almost all M$ rivals are betting hard in Linux, and the software patents are so absurd that everybody can issue thousands of lawsuits against each other.
They will start a war between titans that will last for many years and completely paralyse the whole software industry in any country where the ridiculous american patent system is enforced.
Slashdot Mirror
If that's something that gets on my nerves is ignorant people in love with their own ignorance getting annoyed when someone corrects them.
Pointing your errors is "bitching"? Writing shit is lack of respect for the readers.
Why is it funny? Don't you gringos have better things to do than bash Europe at every opportunity, even when it doesn't make any sense? I assume you are American, and USA is the absolute World champion of protectionism, so what exactly do you find soooo funny?
Can you tell me what is so wrong about Europe actions regarding this matter? Or your post was just for fun?
So, now a 3rd World country is trying to dictate the electoral results in the USA?
That's strange, usually it's the other way around!
The biggest problem with Netherlands is that many millions of people feel just like you do (sigh). Maybe we should stop craving for Netherlands and try to make our own countries a little more "netherlandish".
Anyway, good luck.
Comparing actions of your "great democracy" with the ones of a "vicious dictator" (to use your own jargon) trying to excuse yourselves, does not speak the best about you guys.
Also, independent international authorities on human rights rank Cuba very well in the whole American continent, or at least not as bad as most of the other countries (think Colombia, Bolivia, Mexico, etc.). You should see your own human rights ranking, maybe you'll be surprised.
By the time US-backed dictator Batista was in power, Cuba was a human-rights paradise. One of the common practices of the police was to cut pieces of the prisoners bodies like ears, noses and fingers and send them to the families, hoping some of them would confess. Of course, they could be sadistic monsters, but at least they weren't commies (Oh, the horror!).
What do those specific problems have to do with Fox News, anyway? And I'm neither French or Dutch. I've never even been in Netherlands.
Are you calling me blind? You are the one making absurd connections. Could you explain your point?
Well, I'm European and I spent some time working in a project in the US. I watched Fox News every evening because it made me laugh a lot. It's completely ridiculous.
We have some pretty bad journalists, and our media are very biased, you can tell right away most things are manipulated. But we couldn't get to the level of Fox News, it's too brazen, people just wouldn't take it seriously.
Of course, if some Americans take the Fox crap seriously, it ceases to be funny, it becomes very, very dangerous.
Please explain the logic behind your statement. How can possibly a humoristic show and a news TV station be comparable at all?
"Study Shows Good With Math Means Bad With People"
Where exactly is that written in the article?
Creating sensationalist titles to make people rush to read the post is not very beneficial to Slashdot's credibility.
So, why do I have to put up with copy protected CDs that I can't rip to listen to in my office? I don't mean pirating anything, just fair use.
I subscribe to EMusic.com, that sells non-DRM MP3s. Why is the catalog so limited? There are many things that I could buy, but they are not offered in EMusic, and I'm not spending € 18,00 for some stupid copy-protected CD, so their strategy is shoting their own foot. The so called "labels and the artists they represent" are actually preventing me from being their customer.
Anyway, it's not about the artists , of course. They get a ridiculous amount for each sold CD. The record companies business is all about delivering very very little for a huge amount. Let them all go bankrupcy, I won't miss those leaches! And neither the artists, too.
I can't even see what the new Yahoo Mail looks like. I can't seem to open it in any browser, either in Linux or Windows. And I have problems with the old Yahoo Mail in Firefox, too. I was seriously considering dumping my Yahoo account, now they put me a little bit closer to that.
Dude, you should come to my country. I don't know if our urban designers are just completely retarded or sadistic perverts.
If people have enough time to be chatting all day long, then they are not being well managed. We use IM as a working tool, with some success. My team has lots of projects abroad, there are always 2 or 3 co-workers in foreign countries, working. And IM is a lot cheaper than international phone calls. I have my Gaim clients disconnected most of the time because, even when I'm flagged as "busy", friends of mine come at inappropriate times for some cheap talk, and I have to be kinda rude rude and tell them: I'M WORKING! WE'LL TALK LATER!
If everybody thought like you, there would be no enterprises in the World. The first thing they tought me in a lousy sales job I had some years ago it that you must contact the most possible customers you can. If 1 out of 100 contacts results in a sale, then you need to contact 1000 to make 10 sales. That's just it.
You are right, but quoting Dylan: The times, they are a'changing...
This is just plain FUD from the record industry and their puppets, like Madonna.
Most musicians make money with concerts, because the share they have in record sales is awfully low. Everytime you buy a CD, you're not paying for the valuable work of the musician, most of the money goes directly inside the gaping throat of the record industry. We feed them loads of money and they create plastic, lab-made stars to fill the airwaves with.
In my dream world, real artists will start to sell or give away their music direcly in the Internet, and make money from shows. They're not making big money selling records, anyway, so what's the problem? This would be a great incentive to make shows more interesting and worthwhile going to. I personally think nothing beats a live show.
Plastic-made pop stars and record companies can just go fuck themselves and maybe we could start giving good artists more opportunities.
I though about buying a bike, and using it to go to work, many times. That would be really cool. Unfortunately, I don't live in the Netherlands.
I live in a valley, with a very steep road to get out, and half of the way to work is highway, where bycicles are forbidden. I could use a secondary road, but it's a much longer distance. Anyway, riding a bike on the road, where I live, is almost suicide. Death rate among cyclists is very high.
I use a motorcycle, and ride 6 Km to work everyday, and 6 Km back. But most people I know use a car and drive much longer distances.
But gas here in Europe is over € 1 a litre, which gives us about 6 or 7 dollars a gallon. The average salary specifically in my country is under € 1000/month. So, what are you complaining about?
Holy shit!
Dude, I thought my country was bureaucratic! That's gonna be a really tough pill to swallow!
Anyway, what happens if you forget it one day, or if you lose it or have it stolen?
You go to the registry and ask a new one. It's as simple as this. If it's stolen, then congratulations, an illegal immigrant will become YOU. Anyway, it's against our Constitution to track someone by ID card number in businesses with the state, the Tax Authority has one number, the Health Authority has a different number, the Traffic Authority another, etc. etc. Government is trying to cut down bureaucracy and make the public services collaborate better with each other, but it's raising lots of privacy issues, for instance, to apply for Student/Worker benefits, I have to wait hours in a queue to request the Social Security a paper stating I don't owe them any money. Then I have to deliver the paper in my university, which is a stupid situation, because the university belongs to the State. Why don't those bureaucrats just ask? Or better, why can't they just query a database?
the UK card will cost £90+ (it's combined with a passport, but that's still a £50 increase). And some estimates put it as £300 per person.
Well, I can see why you're angry, this is an outrageous price, if people don't swallow this pill easily, prices like those only make it worse. Aren't the Labours a bit bully, or something?
I don't see how ID cards will prevent terrorism.
Well, I wrote it in another post, if I commit a crime, Police already knows my fingerprint. That helps, a little bit.
You don't need to be sorry. We don't ever feel like our freedom has been taken away. I live in the EU, where I can enjoy one of the best freedoms in the World. We all grew up with these ID cards, for us, they are routine. And it doesn't prevent us from doing anything.
If I had commited a crime, then I should worry, because somewhere, there's a database with my fingerprint in it.
As I said, it's a matter of culture. The ID card issue is very important for Anglo-Saxons, for other cultures, it's just trivial. It's like eating snails. In my own country they are much appreciated, in France they even consider them an exquisite delicacy. Yet, an American or British wouldn't eat a snail to save his life.
I'm curious. What do you find so shameful about having an ID card?
Where I live, ID cards have fingerprint and photo. And it's mandatory to carry one's card all the time. As far as I know, nobody gives a shit about it.
Concerning costs, I recall I had to pay some amount to renew it when I got married, but it was really low. It's not that expensive to produce an ID card, why do people have to pay, quoting you, an "absurd amount" to take it? Won't that encourage people to ignore it and become "clandestines"?
Anyway, if the government can track you by your ID card, then they don't need to resort to a bunch of illegal stuff to fight crime and terrorism, as it seems to be a habit lately.
This isn't such a big deal. In my country, it's mandatory to have an ID card, at least since I can remember. I live in a democratic country, that's part of the EU.
The ID card paranoia is an Anglo-Saxon thing. I guess it goes against your traditional concept of personal freedom. In my personal opinion, ID card is quite a useful thing. You'll end up to get used to it, eventually.
I have seen quite a few of those pre-release copies. They are sold in broad daylight in street markets all around my country. For 5 Euro, you can buy 3 movies.
In my opinion, they are not worth it. Usually, image sucks, you can see people standing and hear people laughing during the movie. Most of the time, the sound is out of sync with the image, making it a pain to watch. I could never stand to watch more than 10 minutes of any of such movies.
€ 5,00 for 3 movies is really cheap, may sound tempting, but for me, it's not only wasting money, but wasting time. I can't see why people buy such crap.
I think, when Microsoft starts suing for patent violations, shit will seriously hit the fan. Almost all M$ rivals are betting hard in Linux, and the software patents are so absurd that everybody can issue thousands of lawsuits against each other.
They will start a war between titans that will last for many years and completely paralyse the whole software industry in any country where the ridiculous american patent system is enforced.